How to live happily among Christians

[Laurentius]

I've always been an atheist and if my mental balance does not deteriorate beyond repair I think I am very likely to stay that way till my extinction.

Most of my friends and family are Christians. I ocasionally participate in Christian ceremonies, use Christian salutations and formulas. I do it because I love my wife and my brother with all my heart. I love and respect my friends. I respect the entire community I live in and praise its values. It's not a trick, I really feel that way. Sometimes I do sense I am making too big a compromise but that feeling vanishes as soon as I think how much love and respect I receive from all these wonderful people.

Do atheists make a minority? Statistically speaking, yes. But do they coagulate in any way? Are there natural insitutions that draw them together both physically and spiritually? No.

Most of my friends and family are lukewarm Christians. They've never read the Bible. They go to church less than three times per year. Their instincts tell them they should be cautious when considering divinity and most importantly they regard the Christian hat as a non-material badge for those who want to show their adherence to the values of the community and ultimately to its people.

My life style is definitely a secular one, and some of my friends and family do not hesitate to tell me they find it hard to understand my "stubborness." Most accept me the way I am or rather do not care. But they become highly sensitive when I am supposed to be the protagonist of one of these ceremonies and I may not perform the way the ritual demands. If I refused to do my job properly I would be accused of selfishness. It would be useless to explain them anything because in my country there is no difference between individualism and egoism.

Otherwise, I lead a happy life and hope the weather will be fine tomorrow. ;)

[TexasRose30]

Most of my friends and family are lukewarm Christians. They've never read the Bible. They go to church less than three times per year. Their instincts tell them they should be cautious when considering divinity and most importantly they regard the Christian hat as a non-material badge for those who want to show their adherence to the values of the community and ultimately to its people.

It's helpful to remember this, that all Christians are not fundamentalists. This also describes a lot of my friends.

Otherwise, I lead a happy life and hope the weather will be fine tomorrow. ;)

Yes, me, too :thumbs: You CAN be a happy atheist. It is good to see a positive post like this.

Texas Rose

[Proxima Centauri]

I’m surprised there is so much religion in a former Communist country. You understand Romanian culture better than we do. You work out what you think is best. I’m glad you are happy most of the time.

[Laurentius]

Eastern Europeans seem to have taken shelter under their religious tradions to peacefully fight the Communist ideology. Resisting religion is regarded as an offence to the national being. For instance, there is an axiomatic saying that goes around here, in Romania: "The Romanian people was born Christian."

Luckily for me, my country fellows are not as fundamentalist as other nations' people in Eastern Europe can get, such as Albanians, Greeks and various types of Slavs.

[Professor]

Most of my friends and family are Christians. I ocasionally participate in Christian ceremonies, use Christian salutations and formulas. I do it because I love my wife and my brother with all my heart. I love and respect my friends. I respect the entire community I live in and praise its values. It's not a trick, I really feel that way. Sometimes I do sense I am making too big a compromise but that feeling vanishes as soon as I think how much love and respect I receive from all these wonderful people.

I know how you feel. Although my wife is an atheist, her family is Mormon. Of course the Book of Mormon is an obvious scam, and Mormonism inherited all of the evil scripture of the OT and NT, but her family are wonderful people who have never tried to impose their views or practices on either of us. (We have returned the favor, of course.) They are fundamentally nice people, and like most religious people they pick and choose the scriptures which support their own character. This tendency says so much about fundamentalists doesn't it? I wonder if someone could perform a psychological assessment based on a person's favorite and least favorite Biblical passages?


It would be useless to explain them anything because in my country there is no difference between individualism and egoism.

That is so very, very scary.

[Laurentius]

Indeed, this is one of the most significant differences between Eastern and Western Europe. Eastern states are secular theocracies, in which the government tends to dominate each aspect of public life. Ideas related to local government, religious sectarism, personal freedom, etc. are regarded as undermining the national being. I hope that Romania's joining the EU will introduce some more normality here, but I couldn't tell. Greeks are quite fundamentalist although they apparently belong to the democratic world.

[nihilist]

Hello, Laurentius. :thumbs: :thumbs:

This is surely the first time I meet a Rumanian guy here...this is the advantage of Internet Infidels...we can meet people from the whole world...

I'm glad that you can be happy among Christians...I can't. I could never get along well with people who "pray for my soul" everyday and think my head is full of bad things only because I am an atheist.

I'm glad that many atheists are happy too. Even yesterday I was thinking of suicide...unhappily I must conform that happiness is too much for me.

Nihilist,a proud atheist

:thumbs: :thumbs: